Summertime when the living is easy, fish are jumping and the cotton is high…

Every year this favorite song comes to mind when the hot, humid days of summer arrive. It takes me back to lazy summer days when school was out, the pace was different, and the summer seemed to be an endless stretch of time.

Here in Chicago, the “hot days of summer” have not arrived yet. Our temperatures have been cooler, in fact, we’ve had to remind ourselves that it really is summer! Some of us have even been seen wearing a parka.

Next week we begin Summer Institute at CTU. It’s a time when we offer short courses (one or two weeks long) designed to provide knowledge, to help people sharpen their skills, or to broaden their perspectives. Many students begin their degree or certificate programs at CTU during this time. Others, like myself, just wanted to try out master’s level classes before committing to a program, still others take the courses for the sheer enjoyment of learning more in their field or a new field. Many of CTU’s distinguished faculty or guest lecturers teach in the summer.

Some of my favorite picks from Summer Institute this year are: The Gospel of Matthew, Rahner and Spirituality, Imaging the Reign of God: Social Justice and Global Cinema, and Beyond Pizza and Icebreakers: Imagining Youth Ministry that Makes a Difference. If you’d like to check out what we’re offering or sign up for one of the Summer Institute courses offered over the next three weeks, check out this link: http://ctu.edu/summer-institute

We’ve offered opportunities to visit CTU and sit in on a class during this time with our Visit Events options, Summer Visit Days

What better way to enjoy the summer than sitting by the pool, sipping a cool drink, and reading your latest assignment from a Summer Institute course.